Civilian
by Tori Yuki Ichimura
Summary: A civilian girl becomes the center of the Gundam Pilots' latest mission and as a result in ensnared in an ouroboros of conspiracy, lies, danger, and death. NOT SI, 15xOC or anything like that. Typical Tori stuff Chapter 11 up after 2 years P
1. Calm Before The Storm

**Tori: **I started and I couldn't stop. *sheepish grin* Don't let the chapters deceive you; this is a one-shot. A re~eally long one-shot. This is NOT a "new pilot" thing or a "pilot x OC" thing. I was just wondering how a normal person would see the Gundam pilots at first glance, then second, and third, and so on as he or she learned more about them and dug deeper into their pasts. Basically, Cassie meets them in a totally neutral way. She judges them as humans tend to judge each other and as she gets to know them, sometimes her opinions change and sometimes they don't. I just wanted someone people could identify with. ^____^ I just want to bring you closer to the people you loooove!

**Awa: ***drags a grinning Tori away from the computer* You. Need. Sleep.

**Tori: **MAKE WAY FOR THE QUEEN! *starts singing the New Found Glory hidden track* …everyone has toothpick on their ta~able… They like the shishkabob cuz the beef has good fla~vor…

**Kegawa: **Oooooh, yeah. She's definitely lost it.

**Civilian**

            Eighteen and fresh out of high school! I thought I had it all figured out. A great boyfriend… An athletic scholarship for college… My own apartment on a completely different colony from my folks… Life was good. It was so simple…

            I had an easy job that paid well, a waitress at a local street restaurant. My boyfriend was the concierge (or the "bouncer" he jokingly called it since he couldn't possibly pronounce 'concierge') , so even at work I enjoyed myself. 

            The day began like any other. I got up, showered, dressed, and headed to the café for my breakfast before they opened to the public. My boyfriend, Jake, met up with me half-way there and we finished the trip hand-in-hand, like always.

            When we got there, the manager mentioned that there was a health inspector coming some time today. I laughed quietly. He always said that when he knew there was half a chance of anymore ranking higher than civilian stepping into the foyer to use the phone.

            Imagine my surprise later that day when four older men and a younger woman accompanied by a bodyguard stepped through the French frosted-glass doors and right up to Jake. He calmly acknowledged their reservations and led them to a table in one of the more private corners of the room. The other guests were wary of these new arrivals.

            Jake flicked an eyebrow at me and I approached, my electronic notepad in my hand, prepared to take their drink orders. This was a great opportunity for a tip, so I resolved to be my swiftest and most courteous (not that I'm not always, right?). 

            "Can I get you anything to drink to start off with? We have a wide selection of fine wines and-" The woman raised an elegant hand to silence me. 

            "California Red. Any year before you were born will do," she said curtly and I nodded. I didn't bother to write it down; that was an order I wouldn't soon forget.

            I sent a runner down to the wine cellar for a 170 and leaned against the counter. I glanced back at the table and saw that the bodyguard, a tall, lean boy with long bangs (he couldn't have been more than seventeen) was still standing, stock-still. I shrugged and continued to gaze around. 

            A new arrival, a couple, greeted Jake at the door, and he led them to another table, near the front window. Something about them intrigued me, but my attention was drawn instead to the bottle of wine thrust into my line of sight.

            "All we had was a 172," the runner frowned, still heaving a bit from the sprint up the stairs.

            I took the bottle, thanked him, and returned to the table. Their conversation stopped when I approached and the bodyguard was instructed to open the bottle for me by one of the men. Chauvinist pig. Anyway, the boy also took over the task of pouring. Oh well… There goes my tip. Maybe I should bounce a bit more when I walked.

            Still smiling as sweetly as I could manage, I pulled my electro-pad from my pocket and said, "Have you decided on anything yet? We have some lovely special listed on today's insert."

            "You'll have to give us a few more minutes," another of the men smiled. He seemed kind enough and I decided I'd exploit him for the big, fat tip I'd suddenly decided I'd try my damnedest to earn. I nodded and, instead of joining my boyfriend for a leisurely chat, made my way to the table of the new couple.

            As customary, I stopped at a few other tables to inquire about their needs along the way, but finally I reached them.

            I held back a minute to study them. The first thing I noticed was that they weren't the identical siblings I'd thought they were. The boy's expression made him seem much older, but still they both looked about fifteen or sixteen. He wore all black and she only a small black sleeveless shirt and jeans. The only other similarities I could pick out were their creamy caramel complexions and, of course, their hair; long chestnut braids and bangs that fell into their eyes.

            His hand rested carefully on hers and they were grinning and carrying on happily. I felt all warm and fuzzy inside, seeing two people so obviously in love at such a young age. I suppose these days there wasn't much time to waste. You could be dead tomorrow.

            Smiling, I took a step in their direction, but the notepad at my hip buzzed. I pulled it out and "Table 12" blinked at me angrily. I glared right back and spun on my heel, shuffling around chairs and tables to find where the higher-ranking people were sitting. I suppose I would have felt a bit more confident if I had known that the braided pair had been aware of me the entire time I was watching them and that now they were following my path with their eyes, and that they had no intention of letting anyone from that table lay a hand on me and such… But I only learned them later and at a less convenient time.

            "Have you reached a decision yet?" I forced my lips into what I believed was a pleasant smile poised my pen above the pad that had been buzzing the hell out of my hip only moments before.

            They rattled off their orders and I sent them to the kitchen, certain to label it 'TOP PRIORITY" as the manager instructed when dealing with officials. I felt like tacking a "spit in it" at the bottom, but that probably wouldn't fly.

I was ready to return and take the orders of the two teenagers when the woman's bodyguard caught my eye. He was staring at something, and when I subtly followed his gaze, I spotted my destination.

            I wondered briefly what a government bodyguard could possibly have to do with two American teenagers but dismissed the thought as an error in perception on my part. He way probably just looking out the window. …but then why were the two looking back?

            A brief memory of an old newscast about the soldiers in the war flashed through my mind, but it was shoved to the back when I stepped up to their table and pulled out my notepad.

            "Drink to start with?" I chimed. The individual words has lost their meaning, blending into a phrase I repeated constantly.

            "Aaaaa… Sprite," the boy replied cheerily, glancing at me knowingly before returning his gaze to the menu he had so informally propped up in front of him, completely perpendicular to the tabletop.

            "And I'll have a Pepsi," the girl smiled and toppled the menu-wall with a sharp poke. We both laughed as the boy jumped in surprise and I walked off to retrieve their orders. I decided I liked them. You had to have some respect for people who went on with their day-to-day lives in the midst of a war. Ahhh, hindsight is always twenty-twenty. I should have given them a _bit _more credit than most.

            I grabbed two glasses off a newly-washed stack by the soda fountain and filled them accordingly. When I returned once again to the table, I was reminded exactly why I enjoyed this job so much. You _do _meet some great people.

            "Thank you-" his eyes flicked to the name embroidered on the top left corner of my white apron, "-Cassie," he said as I placed the drinks down. I hugged the tray to my chest and bowed halfway.

            "A pleasure. Are you prepared to order?"

            They did, and I scribbled down 'a pasta w/ vodka sauce & a chicken parmesan' and sent that to the kitchen also marked "TOP PRIORITY"…just because. The kitchen staff was going to have my head later. I bowed again and left to take make my rounds to the other customers when the notepad buzzed again. A quick glance at it confirmed my suspicions that Table 12 was once again in dire need of my assistance and sighed.

            "Yes?" I asked, my voiced tinged with malice. I imagine I must have looked quite different from the "happy" girl from before. I had given up. Table 12 was a table full of pricks and that was that. Even the bodyguard seemed exhausted of them.

            The wine had run out. How five people (the bodyguard neither ate nor drank while on duty apparently) in constant conversation had finished off an entire bottle of wine so quickly mystified me, but I nodded and sent another runner to the cellar.

            While I waited, Table 12's orders were filled and I snatched up the first tray with three plates on it. Again, picking my way through the other tables, I reached theirs and placed the meals in front of two of the men and the woman, and I hurried back for the other two.

            Sitting on the tray was also another bottle of California Red (164, just to shut them up, I suppose) so I rushed it to them and scampered off as quickly as I could to hand another group their bill.

            "Tough day?" a voice came from behind me and I turned to see Jake rubbing his face with his hands and leaning against the wall between his podium and a tall potted plant. He raked both hands through his hair light brown and flashed me a smile.

            "More than you know… I-" I closed my mouth as something caught my eye. The braided boy near the window was waving a hand at me. I nodded at Jake and went to see what was the matter.

            "There's a buzzer on your table, you know…" I arched an eyebrow and put my hands on my hips.

            "Ehooo…" He scanned the table for it, looking a bit confused.

            "No matter! What can I do for you?" My smile returned and so did theirs.

            "Um, we had a question…" I nodded for the girl to continue and she did. "You see that kid with the funny hair?" She nodded slightly in the direction of Table 12.

            "The bodyguard?"

            "Yeah. Is he the only bodyguard that came in with them?"

            "Yes." I nodded in double affirmation and bit my lower lip. Something was up. Again, the newscast pushed its way to the front of my mind again, but I quickly subdued it. "Anything else?"

            She glanced at the boy who was resting his head face-down on his knuckles, staring at the tablecloth. He shook his head no and I nodded.

            "Alright. Oh, and the buzzer is here if you need me again." I tapped the small silver half-circle with a red button on top nearly hidden by a rogue napkin and rewarded myself with another zap. Ouch. Stupid.

            The people at the table I had given the check to had left, so I went to clear up and collect my tip. Whoo! Ten whole fricken dollars! Now I can get that pack of gum I've had on layaway since I was seven! Normally I wouldn't be so cynical, but a praty of twelve is hard to cater to.

            No sooner had I set up a stand, rested a plastic tub on top, and started placing plates and utensils in it than Table 12 buzzed me. Someone wanted a glass of water. Easy enough, but when I returned I once again saw the bodyguard looking off in the direction of the two teenagers. Relentlessly curious, I followed his gaze.

            The boy had his hand in his pocket and was smiling sinisterly while the girl was looking a question at him while sipping through her straw. He drew something dark and metallic forth and the bodyguard nodded silently.

            I predicted the buzz from the pair's table and thunked the glass down in front of the Table 12 customer. Not to look suspicious, I grabbed the pair's orders and rushed to their table. As I leaned down to set the plates in front of them, the boy spoke up.

            "Cassie." A chill ran up my spine at the sound of my name. It sounded too familiar on his lips. "Cassie, listen to me." I looked at him, then at the girl. She offered me a look of sympathy and turned to her partner.

            "You need to clear this building of civilians."

~*~*~*~

**Tori: **…zzzz… mumble… mutter mumble… zzzzzz…

**Awa: **Awww… She's talking in her sleep!

**Kegawa: **What's she saying? *ear twitches*

**Awa: **I dunno… *leans in closer to Tori*

**Tori: **…zzzz…must kill…zzzzz…bring death to all…zzzzzzz...we like the shishkabob…


	2. Run For Your Life

**Tori: **No useless babble here! Nope! Not gonna find any in THIS chapter! Nope, nope, nope! Gosh, there's nothing I hate more than when people babble on and on about nothing when all they really have to say is 'Here's the next chapter!'.  Moreover…

~*~*~*~

            Civilians. The word stuck. These were soldiers… I had gotten myself involved in the war despite my best efforts to deny its existence.

            "Cassie…? Cassie?" It was the girl this time. Her voice was resonant, soothing. "Cassie, we don't want anyone to get hurt. Please, we need your help or a whole lot of innocent people are going to die."

            I blinked a few times and nodded. Looking at them again, neither seemed the fifteen years that I had (correctly) assumed at first glance. They seemed old beyond their years. Old and tired. I wondered how many times they'd done this before.

            Nonchalantly, I made my way around tables and chairs to the fire alarm. I was in a daze when I felt the plastic bar beneath my fingers. _Snap!_

            Civilians ran, the braided pair rose, and Table 12 looked bewildered. The bodyguard held a gun to the woman's temple and the four men suddenly reminded me of frightened deer caught in headlights.

            "Waitress! Go!" The boy called out to me. I was grateful he didn't call me by name. Still in my dreamlike daze, I wandered towards the restaurant's front doors. 

            Suddenly, they burst inward and a pack of soldiers in green uniforms poured in. I had a faint idea of someone outside calling my name, but one of the men grabbed my arms and held them behind my back.

            "Shit," three people spat collectively, followed immediately by a sound like the ripping of a giant cloth. Machine guns. I jerked my head up and saw the former bodyguard turn over a table to duck behind.

            "NO! It's GLASS!" I yelled and he heeded my warning just in time. The tabletop shattered as someone fired their machine gun again. For my troubles I was rewarded with a punch in the gut.

            As my mind reeled, it searched for something familiar to anchor it down. I began tallying the damage costs, as inappropriate as it sounds.

            Three tables…$1,560

            That lamp…$112

            All those dishes…$900

            The sound of machine guns ripped through the air again followed by the biggest crash yet.

            Front window…$1,800

            Girl with braid…Worthless, apparently. She had been crouching down and when she stood she was shot off her feet and through the window into the street. Outside, people were scattering in all directions. 

            "ABORT!" the braided boy cried and tore me from the soldier's grasp. I ran obligingly with him and the former bodyguard through the gaping hole in the glass. He released my arm, scooped up his partner, and we bolted.

            The soldiers didn't bother to chase after us, but yet we continued to run. I could hardly keep up with the boys even though one was carrying another person.

            When we finally stopped, my lungs burned. I sank to the ground and hugged my knees, too winded to be sad or frightened.

            I stopped heaving after a few minutes and looked up. The boy with the strange bangs offered me his hand and I accepted. As he helped me to my feet I noted his strength.

            "Here is your choice," he said evenly. His voice was calm, adding to the pacifying effect his deep green eyes. "We need to get out of here and our friend needs help. You can either come with us or risk your neck out there with them. If you come with us we can protect you until this thing blows over."

            I nodded, my eyes wide. Just this morning I had a good job, great boyfriend, and an easy life all ready to be lived by your truly. Now I was hiding in a dark alley with three people who had just staged an assassination attempt of five pricks who were hell to wait on. A morbid idea occurred to me that perhaps I should be grateful.

            That was the last moment I spent as a civilian.

            "Okay… I'll come with you," I whispered. I looked around and noticed the other two had gone.

            "They went to meet the transport. C'mon," he said, reading my thoughts. He led me towards the sidewalk and then to the bus stop.

            "We're taking the bus?"

            He did respond. He didn't need to. No sooner had we sat down than a white minivan rolled casually around the corner and stopped in front of us. The boy pulled the door opened and when we'd climbed inside, he shut it again.

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**Tori: **Wow, how many times have I used hair references to denote who I was talking about in the chapter?

**Kegawa: **Would you like me to count?

**Tori: **Uh, no. That's okay. Actually, I just wrote this off the top of my head because someone reviewed it telling me to write another chapter.


	3. New Dangers

**Tori: **TOBIAS DIES!? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

**Stanton: **…you're an embarrassment…

**Tori: ***sticks tongue out at Stanton* Don't make fun of me! Just because I had a crush on Tobias…

**Stanton: ***shakes head* …would you please ACT like you're Japanese…? Just once?

~*~*~*~

            "Hello!" The boy in the drivers seat turned around and smiled at us, then focused on the road again. He had short blonde hair and wide blue eyes and I liked him immediately. There was a small smile on his face as if he knew what had just happened at the restaurant and regarded such events as common daily exhaustions.

            "I figured you were driving, Quatre… You're the only one of us I know that obeys the speed limit…"

            Quatre? Not… "Quatre Winner?" I frowned and he flinched.

            "That's me," he murmured and gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles were white.

            "I used to live on L4." He relaxed a bit. 

"Trowa… You shouldn't be dragging civilians into these things…"

            "I didn't. Those braided idiots did."

            Quatre regarded me over his shoulder. "There are consequences, you know. Are you sure this is something you want to be involved in?"

            Trowa nodded and fixed me with those emerald eyes of his. "This is your last chance…" he said.

            I looked at the one named Trowa. "You said you would protect me. Until this is over."

            "Yeah, I did. And I will."

            "Then I'm staying with you."

            "Alright then." With that, Quatre slammed his foot on the gas pedal and the van shot off down the street. It took an impressive bit of steering to avoid the running down the people and other cars that were simply minding their own law-abiding business.

            Fun! Ugh, what a sick thought…but I was actually enjoying this. A sharp turn sent me careening into Trowa and he grunted in surprise. After that, the van slowed down and eventually pulled into a scrap yard. 

There were two other cars in the lot; a jeep with the nylon roof draped over the frame but not secured and a banged-up black SUV with all its windows rolled down and its moon roof open. I don't know what I was expecting terrorists to drive, but those vehicles seemed fitting. 

            Fleeting memories flitted through my head again, and I snatched one of them to analyze. I had to laugh at my own mistake. These terrorists didn't drive such petty civilian vehicles…at least not when they had a choice.

            "What's so funny?"

            I shut my mouth and searched for the owner of the voice.

            "Decided to join us for a bit, I see."

            To my left, leaning casually into the open sliding doorway, was the braided boy from the restaurant. He smiled, straightened up, and offered me his hand. "Shinigami, at your service!" I blushed. "But you can call me Duo. Duo Maxwell! Good to have you aboard, Cassie."

            He helped me out of the van and handed me a water bottle.

            "Thanks," I smiled weakly and took a long sip, grateful for the drink after my sprint.

            "C'mon inside and meet the rest of the crew," Duo offered, resting a gentle hand on my shoulder to steer me in the right direction. He was so charming and charismatic (on top of his God-given looks) I found my heart pounding a littler quicker. Realizing this though I was filled with shame. How could I forget about Jake? And wasn't Duo spoken for? My irresponsibility made me feel childish and I shrunk away from the braided boy a bit, following obediently as he led us across the small dirt yard to the bungalow against the fence to the right.

            "Now, listen," he explained, trying to sound serious, "If anyone gives you any trouble, you just come tell me and I'll kick their ass, okay?"

            I nodded, afraid the others would resent having a civilian around to get in their way.

            "But don't worry! I'm sure they'll love ya!"

            His words were too late. I was already brimming with fear. These were rebel soldiers. They wouldn't think twice about killing me. I was a superfluous member of their society…

            I glanced over my shoulder back at the van, wondering if I could use it to escape if I had to. If they turned on me… Oh God, what was I getting myself into? I didn't know what kind of people they were. My irresponsibility burned inside of me. I'd been so stupid. What were they going to do to me?

            Duo's hand rested on the doorknob and I cringed as he turned it. I expected it to be dark inside… To see bottles and syringes scattered over the floor and piled in corners. To see murky, glowering people lurking in the shadows; grimy men and ragged women.

            The door swung inwards and, slowly, I opened my eyes upon their world.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Tori: **Aww… Now you guys got me all into the story!

**Stanton: **DOES THIS MEAN MORE CHAPTERS!?

**Tori: **…perhaps… *grin*

**Stanton: **YES!

**Tori:** And… just a quick question. By a show of hands, how many people have felt that way about Duo before? Or, if not Duo, anyone else in the guild (or on the show for non-guild people)? ^____^ *raises hand* Ain't Quatre just the sweetest damn thing on two legs?


	4. Oddly Domestic

**Tori: **I always feel guilty when I leave cliffhangers… *smirk*

~*~*~*~

            It wouldn't be the last time those rebels would surprise me.

            A neat, cream colored sofa and love seat sectioned off the area of the brightly lit living room surrounding an average-sized TV to the left of the doorway. On the right was an oval wooden table set with clean dishes and glasses and a bowl of fruit in the middle. The upper left corner was the kitchen, set off by a partition. There was a stove, a refrigerator, sink and counter… Everything you would expect to find in a kitchen at home. In fact, it was all terribly normal. Spotlessly clean, brightly lit, homey and comfortable albeit sparsely decorated.

            "Welcome home," Duo grinned and gestured for me to enter.

            "It's…" I began, searching for words as I stepped inside, looking around.

            "A mess. I know… I'm sorry. If I had known company was coming I'd have straightened up a bit." A black-haired girl poked her head around the kitchen doorway. She disappeared for a moment, then stepped out holding a wooden spoon and a large plastic bowl. A flowered apron was tied over the lavender tee-shirt and jeans that clung to her slight form, presenting her as one at the somewhat domestic end of the rebellion.

            "No… That's not it at all! It's lovely!" I said, "I wasn't expecting this, is all."

            Duo shut the door and walked up to the girl.

            "Ooooo… What'cha makin, Hilde?" he smiled, peering into the bowl.

            "Rice balls. They're gonna be a little sweet though because I had to put in a lot of sugar so the rice would stick. But forget this." She shoved the bowl with the spoon in it into his chest and he grabbed it involuntarily. "Let's see if we can clear you out a place" this directed at me as she untied her apron.

            The door behind me opened and Trowa stepped quietly inside, followed by Quatre. Hilde tossed the taller boy her apron. "Perfect timing! The rice needed a rabbi."

            "Oh, because a priest wasn't good enough?" Duo frowned, stirring the contents of the bowl. He was tactfully ignored.

            Hilde snatched my hand and led me past the kitchen partition into the adjoining hallway. There were two doors on the left side, both bedrooms and one door on the right, Hilde's room. All the way at one end, over my left shoulder, was a small bathroom. At the other end, a narrow, cramped staircase led up to a low-ceilinged loft where four more rooms; a bedroom, larger bathroom, office, and a common room, were sectioned off with drywall partitions. All done very neatly and comfortably, mind you.

            "I don't want to put anyone out. If you want, I can stay at a hotel or something," I offered.

            "Don't be ridiculous!" she laughed. I liked her laugh. "Let's see… Wu Fei and Heero… Duo and Duet…" she mumbled as she pointed to each one, counting them off, working towards the staircase.

            "Duet, is she…?"

            "She'll be fine. She's asleep now."

            "So that's her name?"

            "As far as we're concerned…"

            "Ah." I was beginning to understand how things worked around here. These people could live in this house forever and no one would really know anyone else unless that person chose to open up. There was no prying or interrogating; they were content just to see a friendly face.

            "Really, the only space we have left is the half-room."

            "Half-room?"

            "In my room." Hilde opened the single door on the right side of the hallway and we walked in. Everything inside was a pleasant shade of yellow or rose.

            "See, this room has an adjoining room. I've been using it mostly for storage, but I don't have much stuff so I can move it out no problem! As long as you don't mind coming through my room to get to yours! You'll have all the privacy you want." 

            "I don't mind at all. Thank you very much!" I bowed half-way, my private school manners catching up to me. The room was a blessing for my peace of mind. I mean, how was I supposed to know these guys wouldn't sneak in on me at night? Now they would have to go through Hilde first.

            "I guess we should finish up the tour. C'mon upstairs! It's a little hot and stuffy up here right now, but it'll cool down when the lights go off outside."

            I trailed her up the steps and found the mess I'd been looking for…sort of. The room at the top of the steps was a portrait of controlled chaos. In the far right corner there was what I still believe to be a stolen hotel mini-bar. Bean bag chairs were plopped unceremoniously about and all the cushions had been removed from the local couch to construct a clumsy pillow fort in the corner. A stereo hummed from somewhere underneath a heap of dirty shirts and pants.

The only neat thing in the room was the shelves of CDs, tapes, DVDs and comics next to the TV. Among the carefully-shelved items were home-recorded videos, some of shows off the television and others of their own design, a wide array of anime titles, and easily a hundred or more burned and purchased cds in jewel cases or stacked carefully in dusted corners.

            "I really need to clean this place up," Hilde sighed, kicking an empty cola can out of her way. She trudged through the mess, her path testimony of a beige carpet beneath, towards the far left corner, which was actually a rectangular indent with doors on three sides, left, right, and straight ahead at the back. 

            "Left is Quatre and Trowa's room, this (she pointed in front of her) is the big bathroom where you can take a bath and stuff, and this-" she continued, opening the door to her right, "-is the office."

            Hilde disappeared inside and I followed, peering around the doorframe.

            "There's not a whole lot in here, but this is where the computer is. You can use it if you need to, but I'd suggest asking one of the pilots first. There's a lot of stuff here that's important to them and they guard the crap like their kill," she warned. I nodded, backing out of the space, and she stepped out again and shut the door.

            "This is quite a place," I marveled as we tramped down the short stairs.

            "It used to be my house…" Hilde sighed and grinned. These people grinned an awful lot.

            It wasn't uncommon to see teenagers living on their own, orphaned during the war, but I never thought they'd be living so well. For a group of fifteen-year-olds in the slums of a poverty colony, they weren't too bad off.

            "DINNER'S READY!"

            I nearly jumped out of my skin. For such a tight space, noise sure carried.

            "Hey! It's your chance to meet everyone! Let's go!" the black-haired girl cheered and burst out into the hallway.

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**Tori: **This story has just begun! And don't worry, "Earning Their Wings" is also a top priority, so keep your eyes open for new posts! ^___~

**Kegawa: **But what about your other 74 incomplete chapteriffic stories?

**Tori: **Eh heh heh… *innocent grin* Their time will come…soon!


	5. Dinnertime and New Friends

**Tori:** *singing along to _Toshi Keiyooshi_*You went and died on me/  Like the selfish person you are/ Now I'll never talk to you again/ Never send flowers, never send cards/ Just send you prays so sad/ You'll cry tears in heaven-

**Kegawa: **'(¬__¬)' *pushes the pause button on the cd player*

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            Mentally counting the names Hilde had rattled off before, I decided that, aside from her, there were six others living in the house. Duo and Duet were the two I had met in the restaurant, Quatre drove the van and Trowa had those deep green eyes…but who were the other two?

            Nervous, I fiddled with the collar of my dark red employee uniform shirt. I still had it on… I must've looked foolish because when we rounded the corner back into the living room, the three boys there froze and stared at me. 

The tense moment was ruined by Duo, who sauntered out of the kitchen, a pot handle in one oven-mitted hand, and mussed Hilde's hair with his free hand. She laughed and the other boys relaxed a bit.

            "Guys, this is Cassie!" Duo called out, introducing me to the two nearest the television.

            "I know… You were on TV," the brown haired boy stretched out on the couch deadpanned.

            "Cass, the remote control nazi over there is Heero, and the guy with the ponytail's Chang Wu Fei," Duo explained, pointing to each in turn with the soup ladle from the pot.

            "It's a queue, moron. Get it right," Wu Fei snapped, then turned to me. "Nice to meet you, Cassie," he half-smiled and resumed his conversation with Trowa.

            I could hardly focus on anything that had been said after Heero had mentioned the TV. With a rare burst of confidence, I waltzed right up to a near-stranger and touched him to get his attention.

            "What do you mean I was on TV?" I asked him when he shifted into a sitting position and looked up at me.

            "Fleeing from the scene of the crime. They think you're our hostage. Is that true?"

            "I'm no one's hostage. I here of my own free will!"

            He smiled congenially. "So you're our accomplice?"

            "Damn straight!" I blushed as his smile widened. "I mean…I helped…but not much! I-"

            "There's no need to explain yourself," he said, looking away as he shoved against the well-worn arm of the couch to stand. When he straightened up, he was a full six inches taller than me, only an inch or two taller than Duo. If it wasn't for the girls' relative shortness, I'd have felt dwarfed. Quatre was about me height. I was maybe a little shorter, but..

            I shook my head, dismissing the analysis. I analyzed things too much. Irrelevant things. Like the spellings of complicated words or the random tangents of conversations. Just like I was doing right now…Strange tenses. And, you know what bothers me? When in your head you try to say the letter 's' and you lisp it. It sounds like 'esh'.

            "Cassie?"

            "Hm?"

            Duo was holding out a chair for me at the table. I blushed and sat down quickly. Dinner among strangers. Wow. This was awkward.

            I waited for Duo to sit down too, but he started back into the kitchen. Hilde parked herself on my right and I felt a little better. She was the type of person you could count on to start a conversation between two people and that's just what I needed. If I was going to live with these people, I sure as hell better get to know them. But…I still wanted Duo around. He said he'd protect me from anyone who didn't like me.

            "Essen!" Hilde urged. 

My eyes darted around the room. At first I thought I had misheard her, but after a few seconds I was sure she had told me to, in fact, "Essen".

"What…?"

"Mangé!" Duo yelled from the kitchen, the humor evident in his voice. I, on the other hand, did not see what was so funny.

I blinked a few times, trying to convey the idea that I had absolutely NO idea what they had just told me to do or how I was to go about doing it.

Trowa looked up at me from across the table and smirked. "Eat," he said.

"You can just ignore them if you want," Quatre, who was sitting between Trowa and Wu Fei, added as Duo and Hilde dissolved into a fit of giggles. I had a feeling you couldn't really ignore anyone in this house, but I nodded at him in good humor anyway. They were trying their hardest and I should too.

Dinner was simple, just a chunky stew, cold cuts, bread and condiments for sandwiches and iced tea. 

The conversation, for the most part, followed a vein of humor, skipping from topic to topic. I made the mistake of asking where Duo was, since he wasn't eating at the table, and that turned the tide of the conversation to Duet and the mission for a short time before someone made another crack about Trowa's uniform, artfully steering back on course. Dinner was an escape from the day, not the time to reflect on it. Mental note.

It seemed…so very simple.

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**Tori: **Again, sorry for the broken languages… 'Mangé' is Italian and 'Essen' is German, as far as I know. ^__^*

**Awa: **I drew a BOAT! ^________________________^

**Tori & Ke: **O__o


	6. What About Duo?

**Tori: ***claws way out from beneath pile of wrapping paper and gifts* NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!

**Ke: **'(o-o)' Well now there's a noise you just don't hear every day…

**Awa: **Unless you live with Tori.

**Ke: **True…

**Tori: **WHAT DO YOU BUY AN ENGAGED COUPLE FOR CHRISTMAS!? …AND DON'T SAY 'PORN'!

**Awa & Ke: **…Porn? *shrug*

**Tori: **__O

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         "So, Cassie… Where are you from?" Hilde asked, trying to stir up a conversation over the monotonous drone of the television we had parked ourselves in front of.

         "Hm?" I asked. She had caught me off guard. I was too busy half-watching as Trowa and the boy named Heero cleared the table. Hilde mistook my focus for the doorway to the back rooms.

         "Looking for Duo?" she teased, arching her eyebrows.

         "Ah-no!" Damn her… Now she was probably convinced I was waiting for him to come back.

         "It's alright… I understand." 

         "What do you mean?" There was no going back now. But I was curious as to what she was getting at. I resettled myself on the cushion and took one of the throw pillows into my lap to rest my arms on. She looked like she was gathering her thoughts on the matter and preparing for a long conversation so I figured I should at least be comfortable.

         "Duo's a lady killer…"

         "Oh?" I raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance on the matter. I knew very well how charming Duo was, and I was prepared to admit it in front of God and the world that after a five minute conversation with him I would have slept with him if he had suggested it.

         "He's a real suave kind of guy," she said almost wistfully, "He's got that devil's charm. He's the kind of guy girls could fall in love with over a conversation about the weather or something."

         "I bet he has a lot of girlfriends."

         "Girlfriends… Boyfriends… Hell, I used to go out with him. Even when he broke up with people, he'd stay great friends with them. He's just a great kind of guy."

         "Sounds like you still like him…" I said. I was a little afraid she'd start crying, like in the movies, but she just smiled at me. It was a sad smile though.

         "I do, very much. But he's happy now. He found what he was looking for."

         "Duet?"

         "Yeah…" Hilde sighed and sunk into the couch a bit more. "They're meant to be… It was fate. They're just…meant to be together."

         "You're a great friend to be happy for him, still." I could only imagine how much it would hurt her to see him every day so happy with someone else. Nevertheless she stuck by his side. She was probably looking for an opportunity to slip back into the loop, but then again…she didn't seem like that kind of person. She wasn't a vulture, she was just lonely. How one could be lonely in a house full of other guys possibly as cute as Duo was a little beyond me, but I was to find that out later.

         "Thanks… I dunno. I don't miss him as much as I used to. I know there's someone out there for me, too. Those two made me believe in fate. They're like… Like Sigfreid and Roy."

         No matter how many times I blinked, I couldn't place the names. "Who?"

         "Sigfreid and Roy. I mean, how else does one gay tiger-tamer find another gay tiger tamer? They were made for each other. It's the same with them… Two bumbling, braided idiots with a lot more to them than what I just said."

         I had to laugh. "Possibly the strangest analogy I've ever heard…"

         She laughed as well and the tension eased. "It's just how my mind works," she shrugged. "But, yeah… I understand you liking Duo, but he's taken."

         "Who's taken?"

         I nearly jumped out of my skin. Behind us, Duo squatted down and crossed his arms on the back of the couch, resting his chin on them so he could look at us. He had this cocky little grin on his face and for a moment I was suspicious that he had heard everything we'd just said, but he acted oblivious enough to the answer to his question.

         "You, ya moron!" Hilde yelled and whapped him with a pillow. He pinwheeled a few timed and fell backwards on his rear.

         "Domestic violence," he mumbled and rubbed his head, grinning like a loon.

         I turned around in my seat and looked down at him. "How's Duet?" I asked, and he fixed me with a surprised look, hand paused mid-way through his floppy bangs.

         "She's, ah…fine. Just fine."

         Hilde looked concerned, frowning at his unsatisfactory answer.. "Did she eat?"

         "No… I didn't want to wake her."

         "DUO!"

         Duo slowly stood. He spared a moment to run his hand through his bangs again before sighing softly and half-turning away from us.

         "Ah, she looks so peaceful when she's sleepin'. I checked the dresses and everything. The bleeding stopped so I figured she'd be fine." With that, he shuffled off to the kitchen to talk to the other boys and help with the dishes.

         "Duo… He's the only person I know who can be responsible and irresponsible at the same time." Hilde blew her bangs out of her face and frowned.

         I had learned a lot about Duo that day. And the more I knew, the better I liked him. Less and less did I think of him and the others as rebel soldiers in the ever-present war that had somehow neglected to cross my mind in the past few hours.

         "Well, he seems like a good guy," I said pathetically.

         "He is. He really is…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Tori: **O__O I dug myself into a SERIOUS pit with this Author Fic thing… So it's become the Author New Year's Eve party! I'm sorry…but I just couldn't get a good idea for Christmas. Besides…New Years offers a LOT more couples' options, more excuses to get wildly drunk ((Taro… ^__~)), more crazy New Years traditions, and more craziness in general!

**Ke: **Plus more time for you to write it, you lazy butt…

**Tori: ***pushes aside a pile of tangled ribbons* Has anyone seen the door lately? Or Zashi and Hikaru for that matter?


	7. They're not, um, are they?

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            "Hey! Would you two stop gossiping about our cute rear ends and help us?" Duo yelled from the kitchen. Hilde and I laughed and picked ourselves up off the couch to lend a helping hand.

            Somehow, in a way that only men are capable of, they had gotten a glass stuck in the sink drain and had, by use of logic only available to said men, decided that filling the sink with soapy water would resolve the problem.

            "Does this happen often…?" I smirked and nudged Hilde with my elbow as we rolled up our sleeves.

            "It's never exactly the same thing, but it's always in the same vein of ignorance," she replied. Behind her, Duo forced what he believed to be an innocent-looking smile and shrugged sheepishly, holding his palms up.

            "Ain't got a clue what she's talkin' about…"

            "I'm almost positive you don't, Maxwell," Wu Fei snubbed.

            "Ah-ah! Normally I'd allow that, Fei, but since you're at least party responsible for this random act of idiocy, it's just not fair."

            The Chinese boy opened his mouth to reply, but Hilde cut him off.

            "Think, Wu Fei. If the sentence you're about to use contains the word 'woman, justice, idiot, Maxwell, or katana'…we've heard it before and there's really no sense wasting your breath."

            He promptly shut his mouth, crossed his arms and "hmph!"-ed goodnaturedly.

            "I'll get the glass," I volunteered and rolled up my sleeves. Before anyone could reply, I reached into the sink, grabbed the rim of the glass, and wriggled it free from the drain hole with a muffled 'thunk'. Hilde and the boys clapped. 

"Happens all the time at the restaurant," I explained and placed the soapy item on the counter.

Trowa grabbed a towel and wiped up some of the water that had sloshed out of the sink during their little adventure. Duo took up the broom leaning against the refrigerator and tapped the green-eyed boy on the rear with the bristled end. "C'mon. Move out. Let Shinigami finish the chores."

"Sure thing," Trowa smirked and tossed him the dishrag. It flopped onto Duo's shoulder.

"Nice throw." The braided boy leaned his broom against the stove, snatched the towel up and began twisting it. "You all better run..." he warned with a mischievous smirk. Needless to say, we quickly cleared the kitchen, but not before Duo avenged the damp spot on his t-shirt.

After that, the evening was relatively uneventful. Quatre had disappeared somewhere, and I was willing to bet he was with Duet, but I wasn't about to make the mistake of bringing that up again. Trowa and Wu Fei had gone upstairs and every once in a while I caught the sounds of exaggerated bragging over videogames or televised sports or whatever. It amused me since they had both seemed so serious.

Around nine Hilde decided to take a shower, promising me a turn after she was done. She said the water would be much warmer after the water heater was allowed to warm up a bit, so I protested. Her riposte involved an exhausted sign, so I let it drop and thanked her instead.

 I was left alone sitting on the floor in front of the TV, back against the couch,0 watching re-runs of a strangely entertaining interior decorating show with Duo and Heero. (That should have been half a hint right there.) I'd been completely absorbed in my own thoughts for a while but slowly I refocused on the show and realized Duo's conversation (I'm almost tempted to call it mindless chatter) had ceased. Without trying to be at all obvious, I sneaked a peek over my shoulder at them.

Heero had his arm around Duo's waist and his cheek rested on the top of Duo's head. They both had their eyes closed. I realized a moment later that they were sleeping.

I'm ashamed to admit that I was slightly repulsed when I saw them then. Very ashamed. I noticed how sad they both looked. They were really holding each other. Slowly, the feeling ebbed. It was a friendly thing…A brotherly thing… There was absolutely nothing sexual about it…right?

Over the hum of the television a door opened and the steady sound of the running water in the shower was amplified. The two boys started awake. Heero noticed as I quickly looked away and pulled his arm back from behind Duo.

            Hilde emerged from the back hallway in a light bathrobe, toweling off her short black hair. She shimmed it down the back of her head and let is rest on her thin shoulders. "It's all yours, Cassie! C'mere and I'll show you where everything is."

            I rose and followed her back to the bathroom without a single glance at the boys on the couch. I felt too guilty to look back.

            The bathroom was still a little hazy from the steam. Hilde left the door wide open to let it cool down a little. She tapped the cabinet door under the sink with a bare foot. "This is where we keep the extra toilet paper and tissues and stuff. The girly stuff is in here too; tampons and razors and whatnot. There are clean towels on top of the hamper. You can just throw your dirty clothes in there as well. One of us washes everything every two days. It'd probably be a good idea to keep all your bath stuff together, too. That said… here!" Hilde grabbed a clear plastic purse off the sink counter. "It's got all the essentials…! Toothbrush, comb, loofa, soap, and some liiiiittle bottles of shampoo and conditioner. You really don't need your own of the last two, but keep in mind, you're living with the shampoo nazis now."

            My thoughts immediately turned to Duo with his long plait. Then Duo and Heero on the couch. Then the shame.

            "Thank you!" I beamed and accepted the bag gratefully.

            "You're welcome. Heh. Usually we could use the upstairs bathroom, but it's been turned into Heero's personal workshop for the time being. When he's all cleared out we should be able to go in. We don't _usually_ share a bathroom with the guys, and they were decent enough to give us the nice one," she explained.

            I didn't really have a reply to that, so I smiled and nodded.

            "Oops! Sorry! I'll go now!"

            She smiled again and backed out the door, shutting it behind her. I leaned down and turned the lock, just to be safe.

            As I undressed, I turned over in my mind everything she had said. She had used 'we', which I assumed to be her and Duet. If that was true, I felt a little safer. The boys really did have some respect for a girl's privacy. Everything suggested morals and ethics and spotless hygiene. I was impressed. I could name quite a few old classmates living on estates who took care of themselves less.

            I stepped into the shower. 

So far, these rebels had more than measured up to the average human standards of life. They had dignity and morals and positive attitudes… I think it was about then that I realized I preferred this select group of people over any other human beings outside my family.

Even Jake? Sorry, I had to ask myself. Yes, even Jake. He's become nothing more than a shadow of a memory. It hadn't even been a whole day…and I've already forgotten what life outside the group was like, I mused as I combed my fingers through my long, coarse hair, still slightly crimped for last week's cornrows.

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**Tori: **I feel like saying something meaningful in this space today, so I think I'll give some quick stats on Cassie! ^__^

**Name: **Cassie

**Age:** 18

**Sex:** Female

**Ethnicity:** African-American

**Family: **Mother (46), Father (48), Brother (20), Brother (8) on Colony L3X18734

**Personality: **Friendly, but a little suspicious. Unused to frequent displays of compassion, she rarely knows how to react, but she's quickly learning to trust and eventually love the radical Gundam team.

**Combat Abilities: **None

**Military Status: **Civilian Rebel


	8. Duo the bastard?

**Tori: **My mother is a crazy woman… How crazy is she, you ask? Well, she just bought some exotic lizard for the American equivalent of about $1,240. His name Wapa the Eighth. -___- Someone alert the Diet and tell them to take her money away…

**Kegawa: **You know what would be funny? If it died…

**Tori: **Oh, don't worry. It has three options: die, run away, or be stubborn and end up outliving my grandchildren just like the other three shall, leaving me to care for them when she dies in accordance with her will. Oh what fond memories my children will have of waking up to find a two foot iguana in the futon with them, just like their mommy…!

**Awa: **If it makes her happy, Tori…

**Tori: **Shut up. She's completely insane and needs to be put in a home. Do you know how many weird sicknesses I got from those things!? How many I STILL get!? ___ People wonder why I'm such a freak… Eccentricity is hereditary.

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         When I stepped out of the bathroom, the TV was on mute. The lights in the living room were off but the kitchen lights and sitcom reruns brightened it up some. The clock on the VCR blinked midnight and it took me a moment to realize that it was because it had not be set. I peered into the kitchen to check the microwave clock, but it also blinked at twelve, as did the stove. The clock hanging above the cook top was stopped at one forty-four.

         Time was an illusion in that house. It didn't seem strange to me, only inconvenient. How were they supposed to figure out when they had to blow things up?

         I readjusted my towel under my arms and walked back into the living room. After spending an entire day surrounded by new people, making first impressions that would most likely determine a large part of my future, the empty couch was a welcome sight. I needed more time to collect my thoughts.

         I sort of plopped down on the loveseat, leaned back and draped an arm over my eyes. It felt like home.

         "Oh… hey, Cassie."

         I startled a bit and sat up, planting both feet on the floor and digging my toes into the worn carpet.

         "A-I'm sorry, Duo. I didn't see you lying there," I said as all the blood in my head left my brain to flush my cheeks. He was nestled so comfortably between the cushions and the back of the couch that I felt almost guilty for waking him.

         He sat up groggily and rubbed his eyes. "Must've drifted off …I'm sorry, I didn't me to scare you," he apologized and followed it with a massive stretch.

         If he hadn't said something, I never would have noticed him. His black clothes made him almost disappear into the shadows, even with the light from the TV full on him. He slept so quietly, too. Oh… What if I had sat on him? I blushed even more.

         "You want me to go?"

         My eyes widened and I shook my head. "Don't be silly. Besides, this is your house."

         He smiled and lay down again, this time on his back with his hands behind his head. He propped his foot on the opposite armrest and crossed his other leg over it. "Actually, it's Hilde's place. We just kinda took over." He chuckled. "Poor Hilde… Stuck shackin' up with a bunch of weirdoes."

         "She doesn't seem to mind," I replied. My blush began to subside and I relaxed. I swear, there's something about Duo that just makes you feel so safe and included.

         "Yeah, that's the weird part. She really doesn't… Anybody else would be having seizures by now."

         "But you two go a ways back, don't you?"

         Duo tilted his head back further to look at me. A sort of half-rueful smile half-frown crossed his face. "Yeah." And that was all the response I got. A few minutes of silence followed, permeated only by the occasional footsteps on the floor above. I was waiting for Duo to spring in with a comment or a new conversation topic. Hope for the former faded as the seconds ticked by. I though perhaps he'd drifted off again, but there he was, just staring at the ceiling and worrying his bottom lip a bit.

         Was he waiting for me to say something?

         "So how's D- how'd you meet Duet?"

         Damnit, I almost did it again! I knew it was an uncomfortable subject that sobered everyone up pretty quick, but I couldn't get the girl out of my mind. What was she doing with this group of guys? What kind of person was she? All I knew about her was that she was hurt pretty bad and that she meant a lot to Duo.

         I had this romanticized idea of her as some passionate warrior-princess who abandoned her prestigious family to fight for what she believed in. Boy, was I off base. That was the blonde one… But anyway, I secretly wished I could be her. Not just to be so close to a guy like Duo, but to have friends so loyal and dependable they'd risk their lives for each other and to live the no strings attached life of a rebel. To be so…free.

         "Nice try," Duo grinned. "Yanno, you shouldn't worry so much about her, Cas."

         "Worry about who?"

         The little hairs all over my body stood on end. I wanted to turn around and see if it was really her, but at the same time I didn't want to seem rude for staring or something. What if she'd forgotten I was here and wasn't decent? What if she was horribly disfigured from the fight? What if-

         "Hey, Cassie! Glad you came by to hang out a bit! We can always use another female around here. Sometimes the male ignorance can get a little stifling." She sat down next to me on the loveseat. I was staring at the cushion and out of the corner of my eye, I saw her hand. It was wrapped in a thin layer of gauze and tinted reddish-black in some parts. God… I was being so stupid.

         "Good to see you up and about," I smiled and looked up. When I let my cheek muscles relax enough for me to actually open my eyes, I gave her a quick once-over. Now I knew why she wasn't a very good conversation topic.

         From what I could tell in the dark, the only clothes she was wearing were a pair of shorts and a black mini-tank top and bra. Her chest and middle were wrapped haphazardly. In some spots, the gauze was there to secure bandages, it others just to catch the blood. The dressing twisted around one shoulder and down her arm. More bandages spotted her legs.

         I looked to Duo for his reaction, but he wasn't even looking at her. That idiot…how could he ignore her at a time like this?

         "What the hell was Quatre on when he patched me up? Shit, I've got bandages in spots I wasn't even scratched! I think he's just trying mess with me now." She laughed and patted down the part of the band aid she'd unstuck.

         "Are you sure you're alright enough to be up? You want me to get a drink or something?"

         Duet looked at me funny. "That's alright… I'm good." She stared at me a bit longer, then laughed. "Cassie, don't give me that look! Sheesh… It's only a flesh wound."

         "Only a flesh wound is right. I wanna see that fine ass of yours back in the cockpit in four days," Duo piped up, still refusing to look at her.

         "I'll be there in two, Maxwell."

         "I said four. Now get back in bed and don't let me catch you so much as breathing hard."

         "But Duo…"

         "_Now_, Duet."

         The girl stared steadily at the carpet, defeated. "Yes, sir," she mumbled and left. I watched her go. She walked slowly, no longer bothering to hide her limp. Incredulous, I looked back at Duo. He didn't seem satisfied; more like disdainful, like a professor who had just dismissed a dim student after answering all her simple questions. It scared me. Duo was angry. But I didn't want to say anything because it wasn't my business. I didn't want to set him off.

         "…well?" he said.

         I blinked. "Well what?"

         "Rule number one in this house, Cassie. If something's bothering you, open your mouth about it. We don't need that kind of shit building up inside anyone. Has bad consequences."

         Incredible… He could see right through me without even looking at me. "How could you talk to her like that?" I asked finally.

         "If I don't, then she doesn't listen."

         "I wouldn't listen to something so mean either! No matter how forcefully you said it!"

         "You're not Duet. She was programmed to obey those types of commands," he said casually with a wave of his hand. "That's why she said 'yes, sir'. It's part of her nature, her submissiveness."

         "So you're taking advantage of that? I thought you loved her. You could stand to be a little kinder! You didn't even look at her!"

         "Cassie, I dunno how I can explain everything to you. All I can say is that, yes, I love her very much, but sometimes she doesn't always know what's best for herself."

         I stood up. "That's so arrogant! I was wrong… You are like every other guy." Fuming, I secured my towel and retreated into the hallway. My hand was on the doorknob to Hilde's room, but I reconsidered and opened the door on my left instead.

         I poked my head inside. It was pitch black to my unadjusted eyes. Over the murmur of muted songs from a personal CD player I heard someone cock a pistol and froze.

         "Oh, it's you… Sorry, thought it was Duo." There was a muffled thump when the gun hit the floor. A few seconds after that, my heart started beating again. "C'mon in. I won't hurt'cha," Duet said.

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**Duet: **I wish I was a hot as Bakura…

**Tori: **¬__¬

**Duet: **LOOK! I HAVE THE MILLENNIUM RING! ^__^ *hugs cosplay necklace*

**Tori: **¬__¬

**Duet: **o__o WANNA GO RIDE BIKES!?

**Tori: **x___x*****


	9. Girl Talk

**Evan: **…are you okay?

**Tori: **O__o I'm FINE! Why?

**Evan: **You sure? You must be really bored..

**Tori: ***twitch* I'm serious! Why don't you people understand? I can have fun anytime, ANYWHERE! Now go inside and skank.

**Evan: **Tori, you're at a ska show…lying on the couch. Do you have a headache or something? Want some Tylenol?

**Tori: **… *glare* I'm having fun in my HEAD. Now GO inside and have FUN of your OWN.

**Evan: ***leaves*

**Quatre: ***comes out five seconds later* Tori, are you okay?

**Tori: **ARGH!!!!!!!!!!

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         "Duet?" I asked, choking down the lump of fear that had risen in my throat.

         The mattress creaked and groaned as she sat up, then whined as she leaned over to switch on the lamp on the dresser. The only other furniture besides the two beds on opposite sides of the room were the huge military trunks at the foot of each bed, mismatched dressers at the head of each bed against the wall and a TV on a table against the far wall in the middle. The two short book cases on either side were stacked with books and plastic models and comics and sketch pads and all manner of entertainment as well as photo albums and some innocent-looking cases of paintballs. There were two paintball guns hanging from hooks on either side of the book cases. 

         The walls were mostly bare except near the beds. The wall next to Duet's bed as well as the side of the dresser serving as her headboard were almost completely wallpapered in posters from anime magazines with the occasional tear-out of a rifle or revolver. The few remaining white spaces were masked by photographs of the other housemates covered in dirt, fresh out of the shower, being tormented in their sleep and in other typical situations. Duo's space was peppered with more friendly photos but dominated mostly by a humongous map of Earth and the surrounding colonies. There were thumbtacks and little pieces of paper with notes and dates taped all over it. Occasionally a photo would accompany one of the thumb tacks, usually of the boys and Duet goofing off or proudly displaying some strange battle token like jackets taken off soldiers and officers or just their hats. It was somewhat gruesome, but still came off as lighthearted when accompanied by Duet's childish grin or Trowa's shrug and half-smile.

"Have a seat, Cass," Duet said, patting the spot next to her. I approached hesitantly and sat down, the mattress expressing its disapproval once again.

         She sat half-Indian style with her left foot on the floor and the right foot beneath her left thigh. She gripped her ankle, arms straight, and looked at me expectantly. It was a confusing position, expressing neither introverted nor extroverted tendencies but a well-hidden timid streak. I knew she was psychoanalyzing me right back though, picking at posture and pupil dilation and the way I'd wrapped my towel. It was one of those things women do unconsciously, but she'd latched onto that innate ability and perfected it.

         "Are you alright?"

         Duet tipped me a grim half-smirk and fell backwards onto the bed. "Men… They never ask for directions, they make up the rules as they go, and they're completely impossible. Why do we put up with them?"

         "They're entertaining, I suppose," I replied. Duet laughed. She grabbed the pillow off the end of the bed and hugged it to herself.

         "Do you like them?"

         "Like who? Duo and everyone?

         "No, men. Boys in general."

         "Oh. Just checking." I had to take a few seconds to think about what she'd just said. "Yes, of course." I thought I heard someone in the hall and adjusted my towel in case they decided to come in.

         "There are clothes in the dresser," Duet mumbled into the pillowcase.

         "Oh, ah-"

         "Any lingerie you happen across is Duo's, not mine. Grab whatever you want."

         "T-thank you," I said. I looked down at her as she was, lost in thought, chewing absent-mindedly on the corner of the pillow. She was a good three or four inches shorter than me with a fine-toned Caucasian build. Slim waist, wide hips, long legs that folded neatly… I was willing to bet she cleaned up very nicely. With a good brushing, decent clothing and some eyeliner we might make an L4 prep out of her yet.

         I tip-toed to her dresser with no real reason for stealth and opened the top drawer. Socks, panties and bras were in complete disarray. I shuffled through them cautiously, half expecting to find tiny zip-lock bags of cocaine or a cockroach or anything that would prove they didn't live as cleanly as I was led to believe…but in the end, all it was was a teenage girl's underwear drawer. The worst I found was a box of condoms and a few thongs. I breathed a sigh of relief, slightly disappointed for some reason, and grabbed a pair of underwear and a sports bra I hoped would fit.

         "I'm not looking…" Duet yawned and covered her face with the pillow. I didn't much care if she did looked or not. Nothing she hasn't seen. Anyway, the underwear were a little too small and the bra was a bit too tight, but I could live with it.

         In the next drawer down I found pajamas; mostly flannel bottoms and tank tops. The red plaid pants I pulled out only went down to about mid-calf on me and the black muscle shirt with "Final Stage" emblazoned across the front clung to me like a second skin. I must've looked silly wearing it, but I could see Duet in this same outfit. I bet she looked adorable. It was a pleasant thought though, so I smiled at her. She still had the pillow over her face.

         I stepped lightly over to her, picked up the gun she'd dropped, and half-jumped onto the bed next to her. She removed the pillow and stretched much like a cat.

         "Were you really planning on using this?" I smirked and offered her the revolver. She took it out of my hand, inspected it, spun the chamber, switched the safety back on, and placed it where the pillow used to be.

"Just to scare the boy a bit. You know, do some crazy speech and start crying and waving it around and maybe take out a lamp. …not that he wouldn't beat my ass and take it right out of my hands, but at least I'd have some fun…. Eh meh… He'll probably end up sleeping on the couch anyway." She sat up, flicked a stray piece of hair over her shoulder and began inspecting her bandages. "Bandages, bandages, bandages…" she mumbled and made a face. "You weren't hurt any, were you?"

         "No," I replied. I watched in fascination as she peeled back one of the larger pads and peeked underneath. We both grimaced.

         "Can I come in?" someone in the hallway tapped lightly on the door and asked.

         "Door's open, Tro," Duet replied. She snatched her discarded pillow back into her lap and hugged it tightly. The door opened silently and the green-eyed boy from that morning stepped in. He flicked on the light switch and the room brightened considerably. Duet snorted in disgust.

         "Hey, Cassie. …I just came to check on the patient," he smiled pleasantly and knelt down in front of Duet.

         "I just checked 'em. They're fine."

         "Duet, you're two T-cells away from HIV and have a leukocyte count in the negatives. After this you're lucky if you're not anemic too. Just let me look," he said and reached for the gauze on her thigh.

         She bopped him on the head with her pillow. The two fell into a moment of stillness, unsure how to react to the event that had just transpired.

         "…are you gonna move that pillow?"

         "Nope."

         They wanted each other closely for another few seconds, then slowly their gazes slid towards the gun lying exposed on the bed. I had no idea what either of them was planning on doing with it, but as I theorized, the two simultaneously leapt for it. The was a yelp and a thump and Trowa had Duet pinned to the floor, the barrel under her chin and the safely long removed.

         Duet's eyes narrowed menacingly, then widened in surprise. "OW! CUT OPENED! GET OFF ME!"

         Trowa rolled his eyes and shifted off her. He dropped the gun and moved to inspect the side of her stomach she was clutching at. There was another lightning-quick movement and she had the gun at his temple. Trowa sighed.

         "Fine… You win… Can I please just check these now? If I don't, Quatre'll murder me."

         "Proceed, loser!" Duet grinned and folded her arms behind her head still clutching the gun.

         It was a rather awkward situation to be in. Boring, too, as the wrestling was over and I wasn't exactly interested in the gore.

         "I'm gonna go brush my hair," I announced and took my leave. I shut the bedroom door behind me. The lights were dimmer in the short hallway but the air was fresher. A peek into the living room told me Duo was still asleep on the couch although he was hard to spot even from an easier angle. I still didn't know what time it was, but I wasn't terribly tired and I could still hear people talking animatedly and laughing upstairs.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Tori: **Oh, and sorry… but the submissive thing is a quirk Duet actually possesses. As her friends, though, we _never_ take advantage of her.

**Trowa: **Duet, can you get me a soda?

**Duet: **Get it yourself!

**Trowa: **Duet, can you _get me _a_ soda_. *stern look*

**Duet: **…okay.

**Tori: **…do you think she even notices how easily we can bend her to our will?

**Trowa: ***shrugs* Hey, if it ain't broken, don't fix it.


	10. Boys Will Be Boys

**Wu Fei: **…hey, Trowa?

**Trowa: **Yeah?

**Wu Fei: **If neither of us are married by thirty, I call us getting married.

**Trowa: **Awesome…

**Wu Fei: **…

**Trowa: **…

**Duo: **You're racing each other now, aren't you?

**Both: ***nod nod*

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            I peeked cautiously into the recreation room from my hiding spot on the stairwell. Despite my attempt at stealth though, I was spotted immediately.

            "Hey, Cas! C'mon in!" Hilde called and waved enthusiastically. I felt myself blushing and slowly ascended the rest of the stairs until I was fully on the second floor. Hilde scooted over a little on the battered couch and patted for me to have a seat. "Don't worry… They're harmless…" she smiled and glanced towards Heero and Wu Fei who were wrestling right next to her for the controller of a game consol.

            "Heero, hand it over! You're been playing forever!" Wu Fei yelled and dug his fingers under the taller boy's ribs. Heero was already dangling precariously close to the edge of the cushion, but Wu Fei's attack sealed his fate and the two Asian boys tumbled to the floor, still laughing and clawing at each other.

            "No way! You said play til we lose! It's not my fault I own at this game!" Heero replied, holding the controller above his head and exposing vulnerable tickling targets. Wu Fei immediately went for his ribs. Any normal man would have succumbed to a giggling fit and drawn in upon himself, but Heero ignored the assault and instead grabbed the hem of his friend's shirt and pulled it up until it was over the boy's head. He then pushed Wu Fei off and lunged for Wu Fei's exposed stomach.

            "Enthusiastic, aren't they?" I chuckled and sat instead on the arm of the couch. I tried to look casual and in truth I felt pretty comfortable. I was warm, full, clean, and fully awake.

            "Work hard, play hard," Hilde grinned and drew her feet up onto the couch to avoid being kicked by the two boys.

            "AUGH!!! MERCY! MERCY!" I looked back at the two boys. Heero had Wu Fei pinned down completely and he looked like he was biting the shorter boy's neck. Wu Fei was laughing and calling for a surrender. Heero sat back on his knees and climbed to his feet, grabbing the controller on the way up and dangling it triumphantly.

            Wu Fei sat up and rubbed the side of his neck. "This is gonna be a fun one to explain," he said. When he removed his hand, there was a dark red mark below his ear. Heero really had bitten him. _And_ given him a nice little souvenir to remember it by.

            "Just be glad I'm not Duo or it would have been a lot worse," Heero replied and rubbed his left shoulder near his neck. His loose, dark grey tank top did nothing to hide the fading patch of destroyed capillaries there. He turned and addressed me. "Are we too weird for you, Cassie?" he smirked.

            "Ha! Not at all. It's better than a bunch of quiet people," I replied.

            "That's the spirit!" Wu Fei agreed. "Now, about that game…"

            "Ah, I don't even wanna play anymore." Heero tossed the controller to Wu Fei and flopped unceremoniously onto the couch next to Hilde.

            "But that takes all the fun out of it…" The Chinese boy leaned over and shut off the consol. 

            "Did you save?"

            "Er…no."

            Heero rolled his eyes.

            "So now what?" Hilde asked, looking back and forth between the boys.

            Wu Fei sat down next to Heero and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Where's Duo?"

            "He's asleep on the couch," I replied, grateful for the opportunity to join the conversation.

            "Good… Trowa better get to bed too." Heero glanced at his watch which may have been the only accurate timepiece in the house. "If he's not back by now, he probably fell asleep in Duo's room."

            "Think Kowareru'll make it through the night?"

            The Japanese boy shoved his grinning Chinese friend playfully. "You know Duet'll end up outliving us all… She's just building immunities." He stood and stretched, then ran a hand through his hair and walked over to the minifridge. Opening the door, there were a few solid clanking noises. "Anybody want some ones and snack pockets?" When he turned to face us he had two beer bottles in one hand held by their necks and a box of microwaveable stuffed biscuits in the other.

            By process of elimination, I assumed by 'ones' he meant beers. "I'll take one." Heero popped off the top of a bottle in the bottle opener attached to the wall above the fridge and handed it to me. I nodded my thanks and took a sip. He opened a beer for himself and set about heating up a snack pocket in the microwave on the little shelf above the fridge.

            "Yuy, you just had dinner…" Hilde scolded, leaning across Wu Fei and reaching for a drink for herself. Heero ignored her comment and retrieved something malted for her, then went back to staring blankly at the microwave.

            Wu Fei tossed a pillow at the boy to get his attention.  "Gimme a diet cola." Heero opened the fridge again, plucked a cola off the six-pack and leaned over to hand it to his friend.

            "Diet.. Who the hell drinks diet soda?" Hilde mumble and took a sip of her drink. "It's not like you have weight issues, you beanpole."

            "Diet tastes better," Wu Fei retorted. He tapped his can a few times and snapped it open. Instead of drinking it, he toyed with the tab. "So…what are we calling today's mission?"

            The microwave screeched, announcing the completion of its task. Heero snatched his biscuits out and leaned against the wall to face us. "It was a failure. No two ways about it. We completely missed our target, endangered civilians, and caused tons of collateral damage." Shrugging off his own comment, he took a bite of his snack and chased it with some more beer.

            "I wouldn't say it was a complete loss," Hilde smiled, patting my leg.

            "Yeah, at least something positive came out of it," Wu Fei added.

            I laughed. "Definitely bettered my life.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Tori: **'Kowareru' means 'broken'. It's one of those nicknames that gets tossed around, most often when she's sick or hurt…which is about every other week.

**Duet: **Losing your civilianhood is like losing your virginity. Most of the time, there's a lot of crying and bleeding involved and afterwards, you don't feel that different, but everyone treats you different.

**Tori: ***stares at Duet*

**Duet: **Yanno, my sociology teacher made the _same_ face.


	11. Grins and Goodnight

**Tori: **Hmph.

As the evening waned, so did my focus. I can recall only in a haze now the conversations and the laughter and the burden of sleep weighing heavier and heavier on everyone until there was an almost unanimous decision to retreat to the bedrooms. The hour did not strike me as particularly late, however I could not be sure as there were few ways of telling the time in that house, none of which we available to me.

I tried my best to pad down the cramped staircase silently, not wanting to wake the pilots who had retired much earlier. Unfortunately, for all my care, I was unable to avoid waking one person. Whether it was due to the advantage my half-lidded eyes had given him, or to the general cat-like stealth nature had afforded him, Duo managed to make himself appear immediately in front of me, completely undetected until his Cheshire grin exposed a set of white teeth. I gasped and my hand went to my heart.

"Duo, Jesus…"

"Sorry, Cas… Where's Hilde?"

It dawned on me that Hilde was not behind me on the stairs. My eyes traced the path by which I had descended and he followed my gaze.

"Ah…" Duo nodded. This reaction confused me. The braided boy looked up, and for a moment his eyebrows arched. Another grin tore across his lips making his shadowed face appear almost demonic. "Sorry… Hilde probably won't be joining you tonight."

I caught his drift. "Heero and-"

"No… No. Sometimes Wu Fei, but not Heero." A flashback to Heero and Duo snuggled comfortable on the couch. No, not Heero… "If it feels good, do it. 'slong as nobody's getting hurt, it's all in good fun."

I nodded. I was used to such promiscuity at high school. Duo shrugged it off. He looked down the short hallway, then approached Heero and Wu Fei's door. "I suppose I'll be sleeping in here tonight then." He tried the knob. Locked. That's right…Heero had split from the group a earlier as the need for sleep had hit him a bit harder and he drifted off on the sofa. "Well, I guess that puts me out of a bed if Tro's in there," he frowned and kicked towards his and Duet's bedroom door. "Back to the couch!" He turned on his heel and started around the corner.

"Duo," I whispered as loudly as I could. He stopped, but didn't turn. "Just sleep in Hilde's bed."

"That's alright, I'll do fine on the couch."

I huffed in my most matronly fashion. "Now Duo, you wouldn't be inconveniencing anyone and you certainly need a good night's sleep on a proper bed after the day you've had."

Duo sighed and his shoulders sagged a bit. "Are you sure you're cool with it? There's no lock on the half-room door." He turned to face me, grinning again. "You never know… I could be some twisted pervert."

"So could I…" I shot back playfully, giving him a wink then turning my back to him and faced the door in order to prevent any further protest.

Suddenly nervous as I felt Duo's eyes on my back, I bustled in the door and found myself in absolute darkness. He stepped in behind me and, in that sightless, silent moment I heard him exhale. It sent a shiver down my spine, and I whirled as he casually flicked on the lights, catching me with a ridiculously startled expression on my face.

"Cas?" I blinked a few times, my eyes adjusting. In those few blurry flashed between the brightness of the room and the reddish shadows of my eyelids, I heard his ease the door shut. "You okay there?"

"Fine," I replied and commenced rubbing my eyes in a further attempt to both cover my foolish reaction and regain my vision. When I finished and straightened up, Duo was sitting on the corner of the bed, removing his socks. He was staring into the infinite abyss just beyond his toes and once again possessed the air of a weary man versus that of a tired adolescent.

"So…" he began, evidencing an obvious effort and unwillingness to lift his gaze and focus it on my face.

I shook myself from my own trance and glanced at the floor, then back at him. "Sorry! Sorry… Spaced for a minute there," I chuckled halfheartedly. "I'll let you get some rest." But I was fidgety and far from sleeping, and not so eager to depart Duo's company. The situation was completely unlike any I've ever been involved in, just like most of the events of the day, and I was soaking up every detail of it. I could not stop the thoughts racing through my mind and they ranged from visions of Duo calmly producing a gun and murdering me to fantasies of a stealthy night visit where his hands would slip under my blankets and he would seduce me.

In reality, I was disappointed when he replied, "Oh…No, I didn't mean to insinuate…but yeah, I'm bushed." With that, he flopped back onto the bed and childishly struggled and wiggled out of his shirt in a display obviously meant for my amusement.

"Goodnight," I smiled and padded to the door of my compartment.

"'Night!" he called after me as I slipped inside the small room and eased the door closed behind myself.

**Tori: **Two years later…a completely new chapter of Civilian for your reading pleasure! XD


End file.
